The L.A. Times music blog

Echo Park and Silver Lake male showgoers: Be wary of muggings

February 4, 2009 | 4:28
pm

For all you single males planning on flying solo to shows in Silver Lake or Echo Park in the near future, you may want to consider taking a burly friend along with you. According to Councilman Eric Garcetti's blog, there's been a recent spate of 10 robberies targeting lone men around the intersections of Sunset Boulevard and Alvarado Street in Echo Park and Hyperion and Rowena Avenues in Silver Lake, each of which is close to several popular neighborhood music venues, including The Echo and Spaceland.

Councilman Tom LaBonge described the incidents on his blog as lone males being "approached by several Hispanic males who demanded their wallets and threatened them with either a gun, knife or bodily force. No weapons were discharged in these incidents, although four victims were unfortunately assaulted. Northeast Police Capt. Lance Smith said the crimes may be gang-related." LaBonge also stressed that he did not believe these were specific hate crimes.

Garcetti's post suggests that you stick to well-lighted roads and walk in groups while the LAPD ups its patrols in the neighborhoods to try and quell this rise in muggings. If you want to voice your own concerns, as many neighborhood bloggers and activists have done recently, there's an LAPD community meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at Ivanhoe School, 2828 Herkimer St. in Silver Lake.

So, if you have a long way back to your car or if you're walking home after a set, be careful out there.